Sworn Amongst: interview with Ashley Currie

Written by Niamh Christian

Ashley Currie, guitarist for Sworn Amongst, kindly found the time to talk to me and discuss the future of the band and how the past year has treated him.



Is there anything coming up that you'd like to share?
There's sooooo much stuff that's happening behind the scenes at the moment

Anything, in particular, you'd like to share?
So a couple things I've got to keep hush, but we've been in the studio for the last year recording our 're-brand' EP which shows a new side of the band, something experimental and something that has never been seen or heard before by the band. We're currently with Artery Global, (booking agency) and are currently planning our tour schedule for next year, we are touring hard in the new year, UK shows and mainland Europe and then various different metal festivals around the world.

Wow, that's incredible! How does it feel to be trying out a new style? Has it been a challenge?
It feels incredible, especially because all of these songs are very close to my heart. They're all about every problem that we as people deal with on a day to day basis, it's about connecting with each other and helping each other rise above their issues in life.
It's not really been challenge so to speak. I'm the newest member of the band and was given more control over the songwriting aspect. This EP is very much my style so it's definitely been an amazing experience to not only write something new for the band but also to push my creative abilities to the max.


Sounds like it's been ideal for you. What cities and festivals are you hoping to be performing at in the upcoming year?
We've covered most cities around the UK in previous tours, however for me personally definitely London, Newcastle, Birmingham, Leeds, then head to Glasgow and Edinburgh and also Nottingham Rock City which is a dream of mine to play a hometown show in such an iconic venue, it's funny because the band have already played the main stage a couple of years back before I was in the band haha...but that's a dream of mine anyway! Then most of mainland Europe.
Festival wise, we announced that we're playing Hammer Fest which is an incredible honour for us. Tech Fest, Graspop, Metal Heads Missions Fest, Jera Open Air, Bloodstock and then obviously Download Fest, which would also be a second time around for us!
You've got a busy year coming up, what's been the highlight of 2018 so far?
Yep! The highlight was being able to cover my most favourite band, Avenged Sevenfold, and have it published in Metal Hammer magazine, I also featured in that magazine talking about the cover itself and why we chose it. Avenged Sevenfold actually listened to that cover too which they posted on their Social Media which was unbelievable honour!

Can't imagine a bigger achievement than being heard by your favourite band! Have you experienced any problems you've had to overcome over this last year?
Not really because every decision we've made has been for the better of the band, so I guess really any problem we've faced have been arguments when deciding which path to go down that has evidently made us a better band.


Seems like a pretty successful year then. Looking back 10 years, would you have pictured yourself where you are now?
Not at all, however saying that I've always been quite persistent with music, never really letting anything stand in my way, so I guess you could kind of say I knew I'd get somewhere from being so persistent and constantly following the dream, but I never imagined I'd be where I am today.

Whereabouts do you see yourself in 10 years from now?
Hitting the big stages, touring more regularly, seeing more of the world, that kinda thing! I don't really care about the glamorised lifestyle or fame, I just want to be successful and live to my full potential.

Back to your next EP, who inspired you musically in writing it?
Bands like Architects, Wage War, Motionless in White .etc. Bands that are flying through the scenes at the moment. I love those bands in particular because of how experimental they are, how they can literally mimic any sound and make it their own. That's exactly what I wanted to do with this EP.


Which band has been the best to put on a show with?
Either The Faceless or Oceans Ate Alaska so far, both have been completely packed out and we had so much fun playing!

What bands are you hoping to play within the near future?
Yeah, we're looking to do shows with bands like Bleed From Within, Betraying The Martyr, While She Sleeps and Heart of a Coward.

Live Review: Fast Car to Florence - Last Hometown Show of 2018

Written by Niamh Christian

2018 has been a big year for Fast Car to Florence. Not only have they released their debut EP, ‘Address the World’ through a unique 5-day interactive online experience but they’ve also played multiple festivals, and done an 8 date UK headline tour! After a busy year, the Nottingham rock band played their final hometown show of 2018 at the Maze last Tuesday, November 13th, and are now going away to finish work on brand new material due to be released in 2019.



What a way to bring a successful year to an end. With support from Saints Bay and Distant Blue, the final hometown show went down fantastically. Loud music, flashing lights and a whole lot of energy, Fast Car to Florence brought the year to an end fantastically. All we can do now is look forward to what they’re going to bring us next year.

Top 15 Bands from Nottingham

Nottingham has some of the countries best small artists, and one of the best music scenes in the UK, especially for Rock and Roll. Whether you're looking for Metalcore, Indie, Pop-rock, or Pop-punk, I can promise there's a band in Nottingham for you. Here's a list of my personal top 15 local bands. Whether it's because of how good their music is, how crazy their shows are or just their overall presence of the band, they've all caught my attention in one way or another.

15. Wolves Don't Sleep
I first discovered this band after their front man Steev was pulled up onto stage with Attila at Rescue Rooms. I then went to see them perform at Macmillan Festival and they made such an impression that I've seen them as often as possible since then. It's difficult to walk around Nottingham without seeing one of their stickers somewhere. My favourite thing about them has to be the fact that when they're performing, they're mostly bothered about enjoying their selves. The Lowdham Hate Crew will always hold a special place in my heart...or my ear drums?

14. Crosslight
Crosslight are a band I can see getting big in the near future. They certainly bring something new to the music scene of Nottingham, as they proved with their insane show at the Bodega a few months back. They're a group I'd definitely recommend you listening to if you not only love heavy music but also a strong female vocalist.

13. Pendulum Falls
Pendulum falls are one of the most individual bands I know from Nottingham, with a combination of music that you wouldn't expect to go together, but goes so well together, they really are an underrated local band. Lauren is one of the best front women I've seen and they're concerts are always lively. I first saw them at the Maze when they played with Wolves don't sleep and I have to say they made a brilliant first impression.

12. Deco
There's not many ways one could describe Deco, I suppose bouncy is the best way I'd describe them as, because seeing them live, all you want to do is bounce. It's also what you see the lead singer doing a lot. It's near enough impossible to not be happy when listening to them with their upbeat tunes.

11. Fast Car To Florence
These guys are iconically known around the streets of Nottingham. It may have something to do with the iconic name that everyone just recognises them from that, or it may be their style of music that majority of people no matter your taste, can be into.

10. Honeymoon Suite
A four piece alternative band with a combination of indie, pop and grunge music to create their individual sound. With influences such as Mac Demarco, Nirvana and Pink Floyd they've created some amazing songs!

9. Superfurniture
Indie pop rock band Superfurniture bring an exciting element to the music scene, with bouncy music to dance to. Playing local Nottingham festivals such as Dot to Dot and Beat the Streets, and playing multiple venues such as the bodega, rough trade and even headlining Rescue Rooms, they've become a band that most people in Nottingham know.


https://www.nottinghampost.com/whats-on/music-nightlife/new-music-festival-radfest2017-radcliffe-163257

8. Youth Hotel
You wouldn't believe Youth Hotel have only been gigging since early this year. With a soulful indie twist on rock music, they rapidly made their way up the venues list in Nottingham. After winning Noise From The Next Generation, they got the chance to record their songs in a proper recording studio that had never been used before. They recently released debut singles, Little Miss Sunshine and Candyflip, which got excellent feedback from fans!


https://www.facebook.com/Youthhotelband/photos/a.578129542533585/715960205417184/?type=3&theater

7. The DandyLions
You don't know fun till you've been to a Dandy Lions gig. With bright colours, loud music and a whole lot of craziness, you won't regret it! A perfect combination of glam metal and kids pop music, makes them a brilliant band that the entire family will love. Giant hair spray canisters and sweets being thrown at the audience, there is just nothing quite like them.


https://twitter.com/dandylionsuk


6. The Mocking Jays
Five-piece pop-rock band from Nottingham have been able to rapidly make a name for themselves across the UK, with appearances at festivals such as Y-Not, they're becoming a well heard of band. With a nice combination of pop and rock and roll swagger, they can only be best described as their own words: Sexy, Funky, Dirty, Pop, everything you want to hear and more. Influenced by the likes of 1975, Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian and The Kooks, they create an atmosphere of irresistible music.


https://www.seetickets.com/event/radar-love-the-mocking-jays/the-venue-derby/1247734

5. Distant Blue
Nottingham pop-punks Distant Blue offer something new to music, taking their influences  of Neck Deep, RATBOY and Blink 182 and creating a unique sound. With their ever changing sound, they've shown their ability to play a range of different styles of punk music. One of my favourite things about this band is their ability to get a wild crowd out, some of the most iconic moments of any gigs I've ever been to have been Distant Blue gigs. Quickly grabbing the attention of the citizens of Nottingham after their first ever headline show at rough trade, which sold out, they're now preparing for their next headliner at the bodega on the 22nd of this month! The very same day they will be releasing their new single, Me And My Big Mouth.


https://www.facebook.com/OfficialDistantBlue/photos/a.1420618071533315/2087015234893592/?type=3&theater

4. Mowbeck
It surprises me greatly that Mowbeck aren't already selling out Rock City! They're a band that is just full of pure talent and pure potential. Hit songs such as Talkabout, Crawl and I (Don't) Care are songs you won't be able to stop listening to. With music that'll touch your soul as well as give you something to dance to, you can't get much better. You'll be singing their catchy beats for days on end.


https://www.facebook.com/mowbeck/photos/a.1534259123284567/1666186186758526/?type=3&theater

3. For the girl
For the girl are the first local band I ever got into and the first local band I ever saw. I remember falling for their music the minute they stared playing, their indie rock sound has enough of an edge to fulfil your rock and roll needs but has enough of a beat to make you want to dance! I can’t fault them in any of the music they’ve made, especially their newest song, wouldn’t you like to know. These guys will always hold a special place in my heart.


https://www.facebook.com/ForTheGirlUK/photos/a.450630148397383/1618916548235398/?type=3&theater


2. Don't Forget Rupert
Don’t forget Rupert is one hell of a band. They're a fast rising band, who're quickly getting their name better known by the minute. They really caught my attention after their incredible performance at Splendour earlier this year and with their recent headline show at rescue rooms, they've really made their mark on the city. They have many upcoming shows over the next few months, including another at rescue rooms in December! If you haven't already, I suggest you grab tickets for these.


https://www.alttickets.com/dont-forget-rupert-the-bodega-2018-12-07-19-00

1. Ashfields
Ashfields are one of the most talented bands of this day in my opinion. I’m trying to write this in a very unbiased manner but you would not believe they only formed four years ago with how much they bring to the music scene. I first saw them support the Sherlock’s at rock city and honestly they stole the show! There’s so much potential in the music they've made, they manage to keep a similar style throughout each song but at the same time no two songs sound too alike, you cannot get bored of listening to them! I was devastated to read just the other day that they'll be taking a hiatus, and all we can do is hope that they come back bigger and better than ever!

Rough Trade rearranged gig

June 24th, Youth Hotel had planned on doing a Headlining gig at Rough Trade, all funds going to British Heart Foundation, with Distant Blue, Talking to Frank and Kynch supporting. Unfortunately the night only ended up in disaster as the power cut along the whole street, giving them no option other than to cancel the show.
The boys in Youth Hotel were more than determined to rearrange with Rough Trade and set a new date to host a gig with all the bands again, for free!
Despite Talking to Frank not being able to perform, they still succeeded in having their well deserved show.
Kynch band opened up the show and got the crowd ready for the rest of the bands. They made quite the impression and got the crowd warmed up for what was about to come.
Distant Blue took the stage next, by starting their gig with lead singer Ed telling everyone to get off their seats, resulting in a member of the audience dragging a chair to the front of the stage and staying seated for majority of the set. As always, the pop-punkers managed to get the whole crowd jumping, mosh pits starting, and even a chair get thrown backwards with somebody on it. The impressive set ended with Ed standing on the drum kit, swinging his guitar around only for him to throw it on the floor to finish. I later discovered that this wasn't purposeful and he'd lost control of it, which then ended up with him damaging it. Fingers crossed it gets fixed before their headlining Bodega gig on the 22nd!!
Youth Hotel got their well deserved stage time, getting chance to show off both their latest releases, little miss sunshine and candyflip. After an amazing performance, the boys went off stage, only to come back, ready to play their first ever encore, which was nothing other than a cover of Arctic Monkey's I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor!
It was a brilliant concert and I can't wait to see all three again, hopefully soon.

Ashfields Hiatus

Devastating day for fans of Ashfields, as a post made via Instagram states that the band will be "taking a hiatus until the foreseeable future". After a difficult year with some incredible highs, the lows for the band have affected certain members just too much and they're unable to continue . They've said some of the members will be continuing to work hard on their music careers while others are ending it here.
Very upsetting news for all their fans, but all we can do is wish them all the best.

Local Hero: Charlie -The Half Eight

Charlie from The Half Eight



When did you first get into music?
When I was younger my Mum would always have music playing in the car on the way to school, and my primary school was very performing arts orientated. We even did Shakespeare plays that had been adapted into musicals.

What was the best show you've played yet?
We played at Perth's Christmas light switch on in Scotland. That was really fun, even though it was so cold we couldn't feel our fingers. But our home town is Nottingham so any show there is great too.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
We're all quite ambitious in the band, we've actually got lots of things we'd like to do so it's kind of difficult to say. Receiving a knighthood would be pretty nice. I try not looking forward too much because you miss the view of now.

That's actually a great way to look at it, I like it. Are their any artists that inspired you?
I can't really think of a single artist that inspired me the most. I think it's best not to be too heavily inspired by any one person in particular, otherwise you end up sounding too much like them and that's already been done. If I had to pick it'd be vocalists that I find most inspiring, I've always thought Steven Tyler from Aerosmith has an awesome voice, I listened to a lot of Queen when I was younger and I was listening to some Stevie Wonder five minutes ago, and he sounds cool to me. Plus I've only just really noticed how cool of a surname "Wonder" is.

Who's your favourite local band?
I like Amber Run.

Good choice. And finally, any advice to your younger self?
To be honest I like the way things have worked out so far, so I'd probably leave my younger self to it and use the time machine for something cooler.

Youth Hotel: Little Miss Sunshine

Last Friday, Youth Hotel released their first debut single: Little Miss Sunshine. After a long wait for the guys to reach their kickstarter goal, they finally managed to reach it and are nearly ready to release their new EP.
Little miss sunshine is a beautiful combination of upbeat guitars, a catchy chorus, clever lyrics and brilliant recording. You wouldn’t believe it’s their first release! These boys are going to go far if they keep It up the way they’re going.
Little Miss Sunshine on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/track/3AgGgsU8Tih1yTUsHkY3jy?si=1L7CPMEETTWc4AwizHqqvg

If you like what you hear, keep an eye out for thei lent new single they’re dropping this Dridah called Candyflip.

Wolves Don't Sleep: Hope won't set you free

With no new songs released since 2016, it's seemed the Wolves have been resting. But no more, with a build up getting everyone waiting upon August 3rd, when they claimed to be releasing their new song, Hope won't set you free, they surprise everyone with an early release of their song with the lyric video on YouTube three days early!
And of course I had to check it out instantly!
After their feature on Deal Radio: Rock out radio show on Monday, Distorted Sound Magazine decided they wanted to release the Premier of the song, to which the Wolves agreed.


After giving the track a listen and giving the lyric video a watch, I can honestly say the guys exceeded my expectations! With guest appearance from JJ Spencer of AZAZEL the song contains a mind blowing intensity that is what you look for in Metalcore bands! I can honestly say I can't wait to see what else they'll bring to the scene in the future!

Catch Wolves Don't Sleep at Macmillan Festival on the first of September!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI4dL_BJXnY Hope Won't Set You Free lyric video

https://www.gigantic.com/macmillan-fest-2018-rescue-rooms-2018-09-01-13-00 Macmillan Festival Tickets

The Half Eight at Nottingham Pride 2018

I had heard the name 'The Half Eight' get mentioned a few times around the streets of Nottingham, but never went to the effort of looking them up. I even went to one of their gigs but only to see the support act and left before they came on. I now look back and regret that decision a lot.
Pride often has some amazing singers performing but it's very rare for there to be someone I'm overly into on stage. However, a close friend of mine had told me how much she adores The Half Eight and how great they are live, and how I have to come see them perform at Pride with her.
I agreed to and I do not regret my decision one bit. They certainly stole the show with their upbeat tunes that had the whole crowd moving, their eye catching outfits and their whole presence on stage. The audience loved them, including me!
I have a certain soft spot for singers, if a band hasn't got a great singer it's unlikely I'll be a huge fan. The Half Eight however take it a step further with three amazing singers, who not only sing well, but all three of them make amazing front men as well!


The Half Eight, you definitely gained a new fan from that stunning performance and I can't wait for the next opportunity to see you.

Splendour Festival 2018

I’ve been looking forward to splendour as soon as the line up was announced, and just proceeded to get more and more excited when some of my favourite artists such as Ashfields and the Dandylions were added to the incredible list.

First act I saw was the Dandylions on main stage as the winners of the competition held by nusic: future sounds of Nottingham. The Dandylions are a band that have never failed to impress me; with their pink and yellow stage outfits, their incredible stage presence, their connection with the audience and their catchy songs that get stuck in your head for days after, what’s not to love? I happened to be coming to splendour with a personal friend of the guitarist Dan, and we had a nice chat about the band right before seeing them play.
One thing the Dandylions have never failed at is getting the audience excited, they sure know how to make everyone move (probably something to do with the sugar in the sweets that get thrown at the crowd every time). Whether you know the words to the songs or not, you will catch on quickly and be singing along for the rest of the song, they’re just that catchy.

After the dandylions had finished, I made my way over to the confetti stage, where I saw Don’t Forget Rupert. They are a band I’ve been meaning to listen to for quite a while, I was aware they were at Dot to Dot festival this year and are doing a headlining show at Rescue Rooms with the Mockingjays to support, but I had never got round to actually listening to them. I must say though, I regret not listening to them sooner, because after a performance like that, they could really become a band I grow to love! Majority of the band came off stage at one point and just ran through the audience, while taking photos with fans. The energy the audience had while they were in was magical.

Ashfields came on after Don’t Forget Rupert, and they have been one of my favourite bands ever since I saw them support The Sherlock’s last year at Rock City. Not only did they steal the show back then, but they also did at Splendour. One would not believe they only started out 4 years ago, with their shows you’d be expecting a decade worth of experience within them. They’ve come so far in such a short amount of time and are now getting ready to go perform Y not festival on Saturday!
With so much energy, so much talent, and so much passion for what they do, it’s no wonder they’re doing as well as they are.
I spend some time backstage with the band after their set and got to spend a few hours with them watching the other acts from the side of the confetti stage to watch Peace and Embrace, which I must say, was incredible.

After embrace, I left the backstage area and went to watch the Charlatans finish their set and then see Paloma Faith. The Charlatans added a nice chill vibe after a very hectic day, and allowed to audience to sit back and enjoy the music before getting to their feet for the headliner. Not only was Speldnour celebrating their 10th birthday but Paloma was also celebrating her birthday that day, so the whole crowd sung happy birthday. It was a beautiful performance which got everybody dancing!

This has been my favourite year of Splednour yet and all i can hope is next year is just a good!

Notts local: Distant Blue and the Mockingjays

With Distant Blue's release of Whirlpool on the 15th June, which is their first new song release since November, they've just been going up from there. Starting with a headlining show at Rough Trade that night, which was packed and easily their best show to date and then with the release of their music video which got better viewings than any of them expected.
Whirlpool shows a whole new side of Distant Blue, for anyone who knows their older stuff, you'll know their music used to be a lot more pop-punk, whereas whirpool is much heavier than anything else they've released, with an incredible breakdown which the crowd goes crazy during, as you can see in their video for whirlpool which shows clips from their Rough Trade gig.


https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/whirlpool-distant-blue/ef82i3kildxra

Their close mates in the Mocking Jays released both their song Edge of your knife and a video for it the other day on the 13th, which got incredible feedback from fans. Edge your the knife is a lot catchier than either Sex on the beach and take you home, trust me, you won't get it out of your head for days.


https://us.7digital.com/artist/the-mocking-jays/release/edge-of-your-knife-8025322

Just last Saturday, the 14th July, both the Mocking Jays and Distant Blue played a gig at the Maze in Nottingham, where both bands got to perform their new songs and had the crowd moving. Distant Blue amazed me as always, they always seem to know how to get a crowd moving and keep everyone entertained and on their feet. Distant Blue I have seen over a dozen times, however this was only the third time seeing a full Mocking Jays set, and I must say, it was a personal favourite of mine. They definitely lived up to being "sexy, funk, dirty, pop. Everything you want to hear and more.

Click here to see Distant Blue's new video for Whirlpool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxD3ZqVx0r4

Click here to see The Mocking Jay's new video for Edge of your Knife.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T64IzX-BID4

Check out The Mocking Jay's instagram and watch their Insta TV to see a live video of Edge of your Knife from the Maze gig on Saturday.
https://www.instagram.com/mockingjaysband/

DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL 2018!

Every year, everyone expects the exact same thing from download festival: floods.
To everyone surprise this year, we didn't feel a spot of rain, and had beautiful sunny, hot weather that reached temperatures of 23 degrees.
obviously everyone took that as a sign it was going to be a good year, which I can confirm, was the case.
Nothing beats download atmosphere: drunks sipping alcohol out of some questionable items; insane outfits; complete strangers acting like life long friends and a lot of loud music.
I feel more at home in donnington park during the second weekend of June than I ever do in my own bed.
The feeling when you arrive cannot  be beaten, as all the excitement rushes through you all at once. This was my first time camping and I had been highly recommended the blue camping area, which I am about to highly recommend to anyone reading as I met some of the coolest people in that camp area.
Boston Manor was the first band I saw after arriving and they definitely set the standards high with their memorable performance.
It was great seeing Blessthefall live on the Friday as they were a band I got into when I was younger, I got the chance to meet them back in 2015 but had never seen them perform till download. It was brilliant seeing songs I used to listen to when I was younger, I was fully releasing my younger self into those pits.
Stray from the path was a very memorable performance from that day as not only did I loose my bandanna, but, my friend lost her nose piercing in the pits! It was eventful and has made an impression on me as I had never heard of them before.
Although Marmozets are a very close second, the highlight act of Friday had to be Bullet for my valentine! I've never been a huge bullet fan, but after seeing a performance like that, I can honestly say I'd love to go see them again. Not only were the band themselves so good but some of the people I met in BFMV's crowd were some of my favourites that I met during the entire weekend.

There were two very important lessons I learnt that first night at download. Lesson 1: If you want to see the headliner, do not go back to your tent first. After that long walk to the camping area, you will not want to go back to the arena. Despite the fact we wanted to see Avenged Sevenfold, we went back to the tent first and once we had sat around our tents, we knew there was no way we'd be walking back within the next 40 minutes in time to see them.
Lesson 2: Do not get too fucked up in the evenings unless your willing to cope with it in the mornings. We had a blast Friday night. Once we had had a few drinks of jager, we decided to go to the rides. We went on all the biggest rides and the fastest rides, someone we had met took an open can of beer on the biggest ride and we all passed it around to drink once we had gotten to the top. It was all a lot of fun until Saturday morning.I felt like death. I barely saw any bands Saturday due to how deathly my hangover was.
Bands I did see included Black Stone Cherry, part of Guns and Roses and Neck Deep.
Black Stone Cherry is one I had never heard of before but their songs are so catchy I had them stuck in my head for days
Guns and Roses was one that when first announced I couldn't believe it! When was I ever going to get the chance to see them again?! Closer to the date I realised how long their set was, and said I'd see the beginning, go Neck Deep then come back to see the end, because that'd still be 2 and a half hours of Guns and Roses. It wasn't till they were actually on stage that I realised I don't quite care abut Guns and Roses as much as I thought I did. Their guitar solos are definitely impressive, but when they do a ten minute guitar solo during each and every song I find myself just chatting to the people nearby and paying no attention to the actual band at all. So I did see the first bit of Guns and Roses but after neck deep came of stage I returned to the tent.
Neck Deep sure loved the fact they had a crowd of people that'd rather see them than Guns and Roses. Not only did they start to the entrance of Sweet child o' mine, with the Guns and Roses logo saying Neck Deep instead as the background, but they also sold a shirt that got banned after a few hours of selling it because it was a copy of a Guns and Roses album cover of  use your illusion, but in different colours and with their name on. Safe to say, some people were not impressed.

Now for Sunday. The best day of my entire life. After getting up nice and early, I went straight down to the Kerrang! signing tent and waiting close to the front of the line to meet Black Veil Brides. I had brought a car sticker from the merch stand which said  "howl if you're horny" and Cc howled at me! I swear to God my heart skipped a beat. This was my third time meeting the band, 5th time meeting Andy and honestly I never get bored of it, they are genuinely some of the nicest guys in the world.
After meeting Black Veil Brides, I went to see In This Moment, which have been one of my favourite bands for years yet I never got the chance to see them live before. No word of a lie, Maria Brink is a Goddess and the best front woman I have ever seen. Their theatrical performance was magical and s inspiring.
Lucky me getting Black Veil Brides come on straight after, and I couldn't have been happier, the grin on my face could not be wiped off. I don't know whether it was the best I've seen them play or not but it was surely one of the best to say the least.

Now one of the most inspiring artists for me personally has to be Marilyn Manson. This was my third time seeing him perform and it was easily the best performance I've seen from him yet. One of the most memorable bits had to be when he started playing "I don't like the drugs (but the drugs like me)", stopped the song, said "That's bullshit" and lit a spliff on stage before starting the "Dope show". Something that has always been on my bucket list has been to crowd surf at a Manson gig so as soon as the adrenaline hit me hard enough I went for it. It was a beautiful show and I'd give anything to go relive it.

https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/marilyn-manson-bd6a522.html

Finally I got to see the last act of Download 2018, the legend himself Ozzy Osbourne. The only headliner I stayed for the whole set, and it was so worth it despite the fact nobody I was with stayed to see him so I spent the whole time alone, it was still brilliant! Anyone that says he hasn't got it anymore clearly is too critical because he had more energy up on that stage than majority of younger front men I've seen. It was the perfect way to end the perfect day.


https://www.nottinghampost.com/whats-on/music-nightlife/download-2018-sunday-review-ozzy-1661555

After the experience I had, I have to say I will find any excuse to go download as often as I possibly can because it actually feels like a family and the time I had there could not be beaten.

Alibi Clothing, 5 year anniversary at the Maze

Alibi Clothing and Accessories are a Nottingham based clothing company that have been providing new and exciting screen printed designs for 5 years. To celebrate their anniversary, they held a gig at the maze, for local bands and singers to perform at. Artists such as Black Ink, Pendulum Falls, Distant Blue and Katie Cooper all performed and brought in quite a crowd.
The Free barbecue outside that came with the ticket was appreciated and went down very well, with both meat burgers and vegan/vegetarian options.
If you still haven't checked out Alibi Clothing, I'd recommend you get on it soon.